


Message in a Bottle

by shortystylee



Series: A Series of Song One-Shots [8]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Early 80s setting, F/F, Femslash, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Music references abound, Sansa Stark is too pure for this world, Seven Minutes In Heaven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 02:08:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13044291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shortystylee/pseuds/shortystylee
Summary: Sansa's just realized her feelings for her best friend, and she's not ready at all for when Margaery throws a party one night when her parents aren't home, and especially not when Asha Greyjoy starts to suggest the games they play.





	Message in a Bottle

**Author's Note:**

> Set in fall 1982. Sansa, Margaery, and Gendry are juniors in high school, Arya is a sophomore.

The party was all Maggy’s idea. With such a big family, not to mention watchful parents, there was never a time when, even if she wanted to, that she could’ve thrown a house party that wasn’t supervised. At the least, if her parents were gone, she’d have to babysit her younger brothers with Arya.

Not Maggy. Her older brothers were all either married, like Willas and Garlan, or off at university, like Loras. This was the first weekend in a while that her parents had left, off for a week to Dorne for an anniversary trip, and of course Maggy had wanted to throw a party. Not some kegger or huge house party like she knows the popular kids have, but she’s used to attending parent-supervised birthday parties with absolutely zero shenanigans, so even a handful of people at the Tyrell house seemed like the night of the year to her.

“What are your plans this evening?” her mom asks, about halfway through dinner. She’d already finished her normal attempts at conversation with Arya, receiving mostly head nods and mumbles of answers, and she knew better to ask Bran about his advanced classes at the middle school unless she wanted to get her ear talked off. Rickon had taken his food to the family room, eating off a TV tray - something that they older ones would never have gotten away with, but it always seemed like their were special rules for the youngest. Usually on Fridays, Catelyn got together with some of her friends from the Women's’ League for book club or crafts, and their father had already left for cards at his brother’s place.

“Margaery Tyrell is having a party at her place tonight, so I thought it’d be cool to stop by there.” _Just say it real casual like that, maybe she won’t have any complaints… yes, that’s the plan_.

“Do you know anything about this party, Arya?”

“No, but I bet it’s one of those makeout parties.” Arya glances across the table at Sansa, a trouble-making look on her face. Sansa wishes her legs were long enough to kick her sister from her side of the table. “Ya know, the ones you hear about.”

“It is not! Arya shut it, will you? Those aren’t even real, they’re just made up by after-school specials.” She turns to her mom again. “It’s not even a party, really. Just hanging out, maybe like ten, twelve people, tops. And you’ve met Maggy before. We did that project together next year, and she’s even on the honor roll.”

There was a moment of silence before their mother spoke again, except it was something that neither wanted to hear. “If it’s not really a party than you won’t mind if Arya goes too.”

“What?!” The two sisters exclaim in unison, before starting on their individual complaints.

“Mom, there’s nothing I want less than to go to this party.”

“But she’s a sophomore!”

“Well, that’s my position.” Sansa can tell from her mother’s tone of voice that her decision was final. The last thing she wanted to do was to argue back and not be allowed to go at all. “You wanna go this… get-together, Sansa, then I suggest you take Arya with you. I’m tired of her hanging out in the basement with those friends of hers doing lord knows what,” Catelyn explains. “You can even take the Fairmont, how’s that?”

XxXxX

“Alright, Arya. Get ready.” Arya is on her bed when Sansa comes into their shared room, laying on top of the comforter with her boots still on, working through reading a stack of comic books beside her.

“There’s no way in hell I’m going to that party.” She doesn't look away from the comic book she's holding in front of her face. Sansa recognizes it, the first issue of some Wolverine thing, she'd begged Sansa to drive her to the comic book store for it. “You know I have Gendry and the guys over on Fridays once mom and dad are gone.”

“Yea, and don’t think for one second that I don’t know what you and the rest of your burnout friends do down there. Get high and play that stupid Demons and Dungeons game.”

“Dungeons and Dragons.”

“Whatever,” Sansa spits back. She pauses a second and then remembers the one bargaining chip she has. “Your friend Gendry is gonna be there.”

“What?”

“Yup. I heard Maggy ask him at lunch today. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you. She pretty much had to strong arm him into agreeing, if that makes you feel any better.”

There's a long silence between them, almost a staring contest, before Arya responds. “Fine, I'll go.”

Sansa’s entire tone changes, and she runs over to quickly hug her sister. “Thank you, thank you, you're a lifesaver, really.” She eagerly rushes to her side of the closet and starts pulling out clothes, throwing them onto her bed with the hangers still attached. “Well, let’s go. Get changed.”

“What's wrong with what I'm wearing?” Arya stood and holds her arms out, looking down at the outfit she's worn all day: dark jeans tucked into work boots, Lynyrd Skynyrd ringer t-shirt, and oversized fatigue green army jacket.

For a moment, she thinks about arguing with Arya, demanding she change into some nicer clothes, but then she remembers that her sister’s wardrobe ranges from what she’s wearing now and then jumps right to stuffily dressed family holiday party, with nothing in between. “Nothing, it’s fine, I guess,” she groans, then went back to choosing own outfit.  
  
When they arrive, Maggy greets them both at the door, not at all surprised to see Arya there too. She immediately offers them drinks and assures them that her parents will never realize that anything is missing, it’s all leftover from their Unification Day barbecue. There’s some homemade punch in a fancy crystal bowl and cans of the same brand of beer her dad drinks, in the kitchen sink with ice all around. She watches as Arya casually grabs a beer, like it’s the most natural thing for a 15 year old to do, and asks Maggy if Gendry is there yet - he’s apparently already in the basement with everyone else according to Maggy. She hears Arya mutter a thanks as she heads out of the kitchen, while she’s still standing there trying to figure out what she wants. Sansa jumps and makes a high-pitched squeak when she feels something cold against her neck, and turns to see Maggy holding a wine cooler out for her.

“Thought you’d like this better.”

“You remembered?” She takes it from her and twists the top open.

“Of course, seeing you get all tipsy and sing Culture Club and Duran Duran songs with my hairbrush as a microphone was a highlight of my summer.” She thinks back to it, to that sleepover, the night when all the thousands of little feelings she had came together in a rush, dancing in her best friend’s bedroom, buzzed off stolen saccharine sweet wine coolers, singing The Human League’s Don’t You Want Me. When she realized that it wasn't enough just being her friends, that she wants… she's not sure, she just knows that she _wants_. It’s Maggy who breaks the silence. “We should get downstairs. I think everyone is playing spin the bottle.” She smiles slyly at Sansa.

“They are?”

“Yea, but don’t worry. Everyone’s being a bunch of babies and just doing pecks on the lips.”

It comforts Sansa somewhat, because that’s nothing really. _I can deal with that_ , she thinks, and follows her friend’s lead into the basement. She expects to see everyone in a circle mid-game, but the ten or so people have gotten up and moved around, having their own individual conversations. She spots Meera Reed, the smart girl from her math class whose younger brother is friends with hers, next to the shelves of records, fingers trailing across them until she pulls one out and places it on stop of a stack by the stereo. Arya is on the couch next to Gendry, of course, talking animatedly with him and their friend Pod. Sansa’s happy to see that there’s no one here who she doesn’t recognize from some place or another.

Her relief is short-lived, since almost as soon as they get downstairs, the last person she wants to talk decides to pipe up with better ideas of how they should spend their time.

“Aren’t you up for something more, Tyrell?” Asha challenges. She’s still sitting on the floor next to Ned Dayne and her brother Theon, where Sansa assumes the spin the bottle circle was. She leans back her elbows and narrows her eyes at Margaery. “I’m up next, but shit, we’ve all kissed people before, even Arry. No offense, kid,” she adds, flashing a quick smile in Arya’s direction, who just shrugs in reply.

“Fine, Greyjoy. What do ya got in mind?” Maggy leaves Sansa’s side and sits down on the floor across from Asha, elbows on her knees and one hand cradling her face, like she’s unamused by whatever the other girl has to say.

Sansa finds that she’s not nearly as chill about this as Maggy is. _Please be truth or dare. Please be truth or dare. Please be --_

“Seven minutes in heaven.”

_Fuck. I guess this is one of those makeout parties_. She looks at Maggy, hoping to hear that she’d call Asha’s bluff, tell her it’s a dumb idea, and that they could just hang out and listen to music if people were bored with the game already.

“You’re on.”

They all circle up, and it was starting to become rather clear to Sansa that she’s the only one shocked by this. Even Arya had barely reacted and took a spot in the circle.

When everyone is seated, Asha places the empty bottle she’s been fidgeting with back into the the circle. “Rules are simple, you spin and you’re in the cozy Tyrell coat closet back there with whoever it lands on. Only two who get passes are Ginger Stark and Baby Stark, and me and Theon.”

There’s a scoff from someone in the circle, and Sansa knows that it’s her sister without having to look. “Yea, we know the rules, we’re not stupid.”

“Fine then, you wanna go first?”

“Sure.” She leans forward to reach the bottle, placing it square in the center and giving it a spin. Arya’s always had enough brazen confidence to bullshit her way through most situations, and Sansa would be lying if she said she wasn't interested to see how her sister reacts in this one. It feels like the bottle is never going to stop spinning, and when it finally does, it’s pointing at Gendry. Sansa quickly flashes a look over at Jeyne, who she knows has a thing for him, despite never hanging out or really even interacting with him, and she thinks it’s probably based purely on looks alone. There’s an upset, telling look on Jeyne’s face. Sansa figures it’s a lucky spin for her sister since it’s only of her friends. _They’ll probably just sit in there the whole time and talk about comics._

Arya stands up from the circle, a smug look on her face as she extends her hand out to Gendry, who doesn’t hesitate at all to take it in his. “Think you can get me off in seven minutes?”

“ARYA LYANNA STARK!” Sansa exclaims, shocked and a little bit embarrassed by her sister’s words and how she seemed to purposely say them loudly enough for everyone to hear.

The rest of the group, save for Jeyne, ignores Sansa’s outburst, snickering and cheering instead when Gendry nonchalantly replies, “Challenge accepted.”

They disappear amongst the Tyrell’s winter coats as the closet door closes, and Mya Stone leans over to turn up the volume on the stereo. “We’ll probably need some louder music with those two in there,” she comments as John Mellencamp starts to sing a bit louder. _Sometimes love don't feel like it should._

Sansa makes a disgusting look that she’s certain everyone else notices, but she doesn't care, just picks up her drink from the table behind her and downs the rest of it. The sweetness of the fake raspberry flavoring does wonders to mask any of the alcohol in it.

Maggy walks over from the basement fridge and hands her another wine cooler. “...so I take it you had zero idea that your sister was banging Gendry?”

She shakes her head. “No! Ugh, that’s gross.”

“Gross because it’s Gendry or because it’s your sister?”

“I dunno, Arya never even gave the impression that she was into boys at all.” She opens the top of her drink and takes a sip. _Grapefruit_. “How did you all know?”

A number of answers chime in, most of them having to do with catching them fooling around at school, usually in auto shop or that one corner in the gym by the bleachers. Pod says he went over to Gendry’s after school one day to drop off something, and when Gendry opened the door shirtless and he noticed Arya’s bike toppled over on the front lawn, he put two and two together.

“I just gave him a high five and said congrats,” he explains, and sees Sansa wrinkle her nose. “Face it, Arry is kind of a babe, in that tomboy Joan Jett kinda way.” A couple more of their friends mumble in agreement with Pod’s opinion on her sister’s looks, and no one disagrees.  
  
Maggy knocks on the closer door a few minutes later when their time is up, and they both emerge from the closet. There’s a daydreamy satisfied look on Arya’s face and a smug grin on Gendry’s, and Sansa tries as hard as she can to squash down the sharp pangs of jealousy she feels. It’s not that she thinks sex is gross, because she doesn’t. She’s always been too busy with her school work or extracurriculars to even begin to see dating as a possibility, and, she thinks, _it’s not like the one person I’m into thinks of me that way_.

Arya sits back down at her place in the circle, Gendry sitting behind her and pulling her into his lap. Mya is next to her, and she grabs the shiny empty coke bottle and spins it, rolling her eyes when it lands on Theon, but she heads off with him without voicing any complaints aloud. After them, it’s Meera Reed and Asha, Harry Hardyng and Myrcella Baratheon, Edric Storm and Lyanna Mormont. They all chat during each of the seven minute waiting periods, and when the music stops, Meera swaps the record out for a new one, The Police this time. _Every little thing she does is magic_. Sansa is certain that not everyone is fooling around in there, some of the pairs come out chatting and laughing, or just as apathetic as when they entered.

It goes around the circle until it’s Ned Dayne’s turn, and he’s right next to her, which means there’s only maybe eight minutes until she’s in that closet with god knows who. Ned spins the bottle, and everyone watches as it lands on Maggy. Sansa’s heart falls a little when Maggy doesn’t hesitate to leave the circle and go into closet with Ned. She can admit that he’s attractive, has kind of an edgy look to him that most parents would take issue with. Sansa tries not to think too much about it, but the seven minutes that they’re in there go by tortuously slow, despite her efforts to chat with Myrcella. Asha knocks on the closet door when time is up, and they stumble out, hand in hand, laughing harder than she’s seen Maggy laugh all night.

They take their spots back in the circle, and Ned pats Sansa on the shoulder and tells her to give it a go. She spins, and, because the gods must have forsaken her, it lands on Maggy. _This can’t be happening. It’s already trying to have gym class with her. And now i’ve got to spend seven minutes shoved up next to her in a cramped closet,_ she thinks. _Seven painfully slow minutes to be reminded of exactly what I can’t have._

“I know I’m the host, but if you’ll excuse my absence again for a few minutes,” They laugh, because it’s Maggy, and she’s nothing if not charming. She takes Sansa’s hand and leads her away from group, towards that dreaded coat closet. Once they’re inside and the door is shut, they take seats on the floor, on top of a number of coats it seems like someone tried to make a couch out of. It’s a little bit nicer than the thin carpet floor, but all of that is lost on Sansa when Maggy is so close to her, sitting face-to-face not two feet away, and they’re hands are still laced together. For a split second, she thinks she feels Maggy’s thumb run across her knuckles, but decides it’s probably just a combination of her imagination and wishful thinking.

“So…” It’s Maggy who speaks first.

“So… you and Ned Dayne, huh?” Sansa whispers out, a crappy attempt at small talk. “Must blow to get stuck in here with me after that.”

“What? I didn’t do anything with Ned.”

They’ve been in the closet just long enough now that Margaery can see Sansa roll her eyes. “We’re best friends, Maggy. You can tell me. I know you and Ned aren’t an item, it’s just part of the game.”

“Sansa,” she blurts out through her teeth, voice still at a whisper. She looks up at Maggy with a confused look on her face when she feels her friend’s hand cupping her chin. Her thumb runs across her lip and she gasps, parting her mouth at the sensation. “You need to stop talking so I can kiss you, we only have like six minutes left now.”

Sansa’s head lobs to the side, trying to process what she’s just heard, but Maggy takes it as an invitation, softly pressing her lips to Sansa’s. She stills, but then the realization that this not a dream hits her, that the old gods and the Seven are real, and this is her reality and fuck, she’s not going to waste it. Not exactly sure what to do, she begins to press her lips back against Maggy’s, and feels her smile against her lips when Sansa’s free hand goes to the nape of her neck and threads into her hair.

“Come sit over here.” She feels Maggy’s warm breath against her cheek, and listens, allowing herself to be pulled into her friend’s lap.  
  
Maggy’s palms are warm and her fingertips somehow chilly as they move their way across Sansa’s body, her lips soft and tasting of the strawberry Lip Smackers that she reapplies multiple times an hour. Sansa sighs when she feels teeth nip and then suck her lower lip, and she opens for Maggy; a jolt of electricity goes straight through her when their tongues meet, settling in the pit of her stomach and threatening to go lower as she feels fingers playing with the hem of her baby blue polo shirt. It's a million different sensations that her brain is unable to process, all she knows is that she wants it never to stop. Hands are under her shirt now, stroking the soft flesh they find, and dancing further and further up her ribcage. Maggy runs a finger along the underside of her breast, and when she cups Sansa through the flimsy cotton bra she wears, she thinks there's simply nothing that could feel better, until Maggy dips beneath the fabric and flicks across her hardened nipple. Sansa shudders and gasps against Maggy’s lips, and a single breathy _fuck_ leaving her mouth.

“Not enough time for that,” Maggy replies, and pulls Sansa’s mouth back to hers, enjoying the way she squirms in her lap when she sucks her lower lip into her mouth, grazing it with her teeth while rolling her nipple between her thumb and forefinger.

There's a banging on the closet door that startles them both and they finally pull apart from each other, attempting to catch their breath. Theon’s voice yells from the other side of the door, telling them to break it up and give someone else a shot.

Sansa adjusts her bra back into its proper position and tugs her polo down to full length, looking up at Maggy when she feels her running a hand through her hair, grabbing hold of a hand full at the back of her neck.

When Sansa’s eyes lock on hers, she brings her face in close and whispers, “Well, this will certainly make our sleepovers a lot more fun.” She gives Sansa a chaste peck on the lips, winking when she pulls away.

“Maggy!” Her exclamation is soft, hissed out through gritted teeth so that no one else hears. “You mean, you want to continue… this? You don't want to stop?” She knows she's opening herself up for potential rejection, but she _has_ to know, just has to know what this is.

“Oh, sweet summer child,” Maggy starts as she stands, grabbing Sansa’s hand and pulling her up. “Now that I've got you, I’m never going to stop.”

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I had to get out of my head, enjoy! 
> 
> Music is all from that era or before. Message in a Bottle and Every Little Thing She Does are both by The Police, the other song is John Mellencamp's Hurts So Good. The first issue of Wolverine that Arya is reading also came out in Sept 1982.


End file.
